(INDIANAPOLIS) – The 500 Festival, a nonprofit organization providing life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500®, today announced that registration is open for all 500 Festival youth programs for the 2020 – 2021 school year, which includes the 500 Festival & Indianapolis 500 Education Program, presented by Indiana University Health, the 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program, and the 500 Festival KidsFit Program. The 500 Festival’s youth programs are free to all Indiana educators and provide resources and unique experiences for Hoosier students to explore the Indianapolis 500’s important role in state history and leverage the iconic and globally recognized event to inspire physical activity in kids. As some schools transition into remote learning for the upcoming school year, the 500 Festival will continue its focus on creating new virtual opportunities and online resources for educators, parents, and students to participate remotely.
Indiana K-12 educators can register their class for the following 500 Festival programs for the 2020 – 2021 school year:
- The 500 Festival & Indianapolis 500 Education Program, presented by Indiana University Health, designed specifically for fourth grade classes. Registration can be found HERE.
- The 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program, designed for students in grades K – 12. Registration can be found HERE.
- The 500 Festival KidsFit Program, designed for students in grades K – 6. Registration can be found HERE.
“We are thrilled to see how the 500 Festival’s youth programs have leveraged the value of the Indy 500 to enhance the lives of Hoosier kids and positively impact classrooms across the state of Indiana,” said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. “The impact of our free youth programs reached an exciting milestone during the 2019-2020 school year as we provided free programing for 100,000 Hoosier kids to embrace physical activity and learn about Indiana’s rich history and traditions surrounding the Indianapolis 500. This momentum, coupled with the dedication from Indiana’s educators, has amplified the achievements of the 500 Festival youth programs.”
Education Program
The 500 Festival & Indianapolis 500 Education Program, presented by Indiana University Health, is a free program that immerses Indiana fourth grade students in the world of the Indianapolis 500 and 500 Festival, exploring their important place in Indiana’s history and culture. The lessons included in the program meet Indiana academic standards for language arts, health, math, science, social studies, visual arts, and physical education. The Education Program can be taught during the spring months and is open to all Indiana fourth grade classrooms. The 500 Festival will provide teachers registered for the 2021 Education Program with resources to add the curriculum to your class, including lesson ideas, engaging activities, supporting materials and student items. To register your school or learn more about the Education Program, visit 500Festival.com/Education. You can also see the program in action on social media by searching #500EdProg.
Mini-Moves Program
The 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program is a free in-school program that leverages the value of Indiana being the home of the Indy 500 and the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon to further a culture of running, walking and movement in grade levels kindergarten through twelfth. Students learn through a variety of in-class activities and goal setting. The culmination of Mini-Moves is a celebration event, where students celebrate the joy of physical activity. Mini-Moves impacted about 52,000 Indiana students in the 2019-2020 program year. The 2021 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program offers maximum flexibility for teachers, so it can be implemented over any course of time – a week, month or the entire term and will have easy digital access. Mini-Moves was named a Project Play Champion in 2018 by the Aspen Institute. To register your school or learn more about Mini-Moves, visit IndyMini.com/MiniMoves. You can also see the program in action on social media by searching #MiniMovesIN.
KidsFit Program
The 500 Festival KidsFit Program encourages Indiana kids in kindergarten through sixth grade to be more active and pursue a healthy lifestyle through a mix of in-class lessons and running/walking activities. This youth fitness program is free to Indiana schools and groups and helps spark interest in walking and running. KidsFit participants complete Indianapolis 500 themed weekly lessons and by the end of the program, kids will have completed 13.1 miles – the equivalent of a half marathon. The KidsFit Program fulfils fulfil the Indiana Department of Education’s Indiana State Academic Standards for Health and Physical Education. To register your school or group for KidsFit or to learn more, visit IndyMini.com/KidsFit. You can also see the program in action on social media by searching #500KidsFit.
The Indianapolis 500 & 500 Festival Education Program is supported by: Indiana University Health, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 500 Festival Foundation, Regions Bank, NTT IndyCar Series, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC, Corteva, and Group 1001.
The 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program is supported by Community Health Network and the 500 Festival Foundation.
Support of the 500 Festival KidsFit Program is provided by: Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation, AON, and the 500 Festival Foundation.
About the 500 Festival
Founded in 1957, the 500 Festival is a not-for-profit organization that produces more than 50 life-enriching events and programs while celebrating the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and fostering positive impact on the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana. One of the largest festivals in the nation, each year more than half a million people attend an event or program produced by the 500 Festival. Since its founding, the 500 Festival has contributed more than $500 million in economic value to Indianapolis. To learn more about the 500 Festival, please visit www.500festival.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
